The temperature of a processor may be related to an activity factor of one or more circuits of the processor core, e.g., the higher the activity factor of the circuits the higher the temperature of the processor core. In order to ensure proper operation of the processor, all circuits of the processor core must be verified to be functional at the highest expected temperature (“the throttling temperature”, denoted Ttr) of the processor core.
Conventional processors may be designed to operate at frequencies lower than or equal to a preset maximal frequency F (Ttr) related to the throttling temperature, e.g., as long as the temperature of the processor core is lower than Ttr. If the temperature of the processor core exceeds the throttling temperature, then the processor may “throttle”, i.e., the frequency of the processor core may be reduced and, if necessary, the voltage supplied to the processor may be reduced, e.g., until the temperature of the processor is reduced to a value lower than Ttr, at which point the frequency of the processor may be increased, e.g., back to F(Ttr), and so on.
The performance of the processor core may also be affected by a droop of the voltage supplied to the processor, e.g., the maximal frequency of the processor core may be reduced as a result of the voltage droop. In order to guarantee operation of the processor with an expected minimal voltage, Vccmin, in conventional processors the operating frequency of the processor is predetermined to be not higher than a frequency, F(Vccmin), related to Vccmin. Conventional processors may include a plurality of decoupling capacitors associated with the processor core and/or to a package of the processor. These capacitors may reduce the affect of the voltage droop on the processor. However, such capacitors are relatively expensive.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn accurately or to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity or several physical components included in one functional block or element. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the drawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Moreover, some of the blocks depicted in the drawings may be combined into a single function.